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Sri Lanka's death zone
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by senthil5000 | March 22, 2009 at 12:01 pm
132 views | 3 Recommendations | 3 comments
What Sri Lanka don't want to talk is about the sufferings of innocent Tamil people. What responsiblity does the democratically elected Sri Lankan government shows to the people at Vanni ?
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa may win his war against the Tamil Tigers, but at what cost? By resorting to war crimes that would stain his nation's image, and make postwar reconciliation between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil minority even harder to achieve?
That's what United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay fears. She recently warned that tactics by both the Sri Lankan military and the Tigers "could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity." It is a fear Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other Commonwealth leaders should echo, while there is still time to avert a wholesale slaughter in Sri Lanka's death zone.
As many as 150,000 civilians, mostly Tamils, are feared caught in a shrinking 30 square kilometre patch still held by the insurgents in the northeast part of the Indian Ocean island. That is all that is left of the Tigers' former mini-state. Relief agencies report that the civilians are being shelled by government troops, and used as shields and child soldiers by the insurgents. The UN says 2,300 civilians have died so far this year.
The great concern now is that Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and his militants plan to go down fighting, taking the civilians with them in a final, defiant bloodbath. That prospect should concentrate minds in Colombo, where officials are counting on massive foreign aid to rebuild from a 25-year insurgency that has cost 75,000 lives.
Fearing a human tragedy, tens of thousands of Tamil Canadians marched through Toronto this week, calling attention to the plight of family and friends caught in the war zone. As Sri Lanka courts disaster, the Harper government should step up its tepid appeals to Rajapaksa and the Tigers for a ceasefire, unhindered UN access to the war zone, safe corridors to evacuate civilians and the delivery of relief supplies.
Canada has credibility with Colombo, having listed the Tigers as a terrorist organization. We should use that leverage to try to save lives. If the Tigers do agree to put down their weapons, Canada should offer to help the UN and the Red Cross ensure all are treated humanely. Moreover, we should press for generous, provincial-style autonomy for Tamils in the region where they are a majority. Sri Lanka can have peace only when the Tamils feel they have a stake.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (3)
at 21:08 on March 22nd, 2009
Citting in USA and talking about tamils is helerious and most of thses people talk Tamils means LTTE not the innocent tamils who kept as a human shiled or people living in the North. This was the NGOs and INgos even done. They did not done anything to the Tamils, they refer tamils are LTTE, Luckily Mahinda Rajapaksha took steps to crush down the ruthless LTTE as recent findings shows what they were doing all these days as telling the world that there are the main gardians and saviours of the Tamils. Tamils who escaped from LTTE tells the different story of there saviours and the findings make that true.
Sri Lanka became war Zone because of the LTTE and now the goverment want to get rid of it. All these people in outside Sri Lanka are most of the people who funds the LTTE and now they shows crocadile tears to the innocent tamils. Truth is they dont really care for the tamils in north, they want LTTE to save there leaders and this recent war they never thought LTTE will loose. when they are loosing they go for all the official works.
Advice is come to Sri Lanka and visit the IDP camps and then find the truth of the LTTE from the tamils live there. Do not refer the tamil net or your persanal goals to show that you are talking for Tamils. It is really helerious to read the above. Tamils who escaped from the LTTE will tell you the story which u will be not able to write these sort of stories again.
Navi Pillai is now fears, where were she when this all drama starts. where were she when LTTE keeping and firing to the escaping Tamils from LTTE. where were she when LTTE keeps them in touture cells, where were she LTTE keeping there heavy guns inside no fire Zone and still they fire from them.Where were she when LTTE loot the food & Fule which sent to these people. and even thses food baggs filled with rice used to make bunkers as thousands suffering from hunger. So anybody can tells things and LTTE too wants the same things as they want to buy the time for get servived as these people will talk for them. Thats what they keep these innocent tamils as a human shiled. Mean time LTTE mouth pieces active to stop these ongoing ofencive showing all the wrong images and stories.
People in Sri Lanka suffered this cancer from 30yrs and they are the main people to take the dicisions not anyone in the world to judge there cause. weather its Sinhalease, Tamils or Muslims, they all unite as one nation and face this to stop the LTTE. So nobody outside cant tell Sri Lanka is a war zone. it was a War Zone early but now it is going to end soon as LTTE will finish soon then it will be a new era for all comunities to live happyly again as they were.
Open apeal is, come to Sri Lanka and then write your story and do not think all Sri Lankans are dumms as you all think.They are well aware what is happening in Sri Lanka and what these people in outside wants to do. Mainly they are distroy the image of Sri Lanka and her cizens.
at 13:12 on March 23rd, 2009
Open apeal is, come to Sri Lanka and then write your story //
Those who came to Sri Lanka and still survived wrote these articles. Do you think all those 3500 tamils are killed becase they are LTTE, fighting in war ? Dont try to hide the truth beliving no one else could enter the war zone.
at 02:49 on May 5th, 2009
"Those who came to Sri Lanka and still survived wrote these articles"
Oh Yes!
Does this mean they wrote all those stories in the past tense? Did Tamilnet help them for the juicy part?
"Do you think all those 3500 tamils are killed becase they are LTTE, fighting in war ?"
What do you think?
"Dont try to hide the truth beliving no one else could enter the war zone."
This is never the thought. However, the Sri Lanka Forces will own the war zone very soon. Then you can enter it too and write your memoirs - "From the Eyes of a Terra Lover"